Accidents of all kind happen every day. Some injuries are minor, and will only require minimal assistance. However, other injuries can be very serious. Brain injuries, for example, tend to be serious. One common type of brain injury that a person could face after an accident is a hematoma. If you suspect that your loved one has suffered a hematoma brain injury, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. For more information about the hematoma, read on.
What is a Hematoma?
Each person’s brain is protected by fluid in the skull. This fluid protects the brain from being injured during everyday movement and activity. The brain moves all of the time during the day – for instance while a person walks, runs, stands up quickly, etc. Fluid in the brain prevents injury during normal movement such as from these activities.
But, the brain moves even more if there is some type of accident that forces the head to start or stop moving quickly, or if a person sustains a blow to the head. In these instances, the brain can bang against the skull’s interior, causing bruising. This bruising is referred to as intercranial hematoma, and can cause serious injury.
Types of Hematoma
There are actually three major types of hematoma that occur in the brain – subdural hematomas, epidural hematomas, and intracerebral hematomas. A subdural hematoma occurs as a result of trauma to the brain that affects the veins in the brain. This results in a slow leak of blood. Blood enters the subdural space in the brain, located under the dura. The subdural space is quite large, and could allow a lot of blood to build up without resulting in serious symptoms. However, if enough blood builds up, it could cause swelling in the brain. This swelling could prove to be fatal if it is not properly dealt with.
Epidural hematomas also result from trauma to the head. Generally, trauma to the temples will result in an epidural hematoma. Bleeding occurs in the epidural space of the brain, located outside of the dura. Epidural hematomas can cause a lot of pressure on the brain and they can lead to brain injury.
Intracerebral hematomas affect the brain tissue. They might be caused by issues in the body, such as high blood pressure, tumors, strokes, aneurysms, or some other issue. In addition, they could be caused by trauma to the body.
Signs of Hematoma
If your loved one was involved in an accident, you need to watch out for a hematoma in the brain. Watch out for symptoms such as:
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Dilated pupils
- Slurred speech
- Limb weakness, particularly in one side of the body
If you notice any of these symptoms, you should seek medical attention for your loved one. While many of these symptoms are common and may not be serious, if your loved one is suffering from hematoma, they need medical attention.
Recovering from Hematoma
Recovery from hematoma will depend on several different factors. For example, doctors will take into consideration how serious the hematoma is, when it was discovered, when it was treated, etc. Treatment for hematomas oftentimes requires surgery to relieve swelling in the brain. If the prognosis is good, many people will recover within six months. However, during the recovery process, a person may experience headaches, amnesia, behavior issues, and attention issues.
Keep this in mind as you help a loved one recover from a hematoma brain injury. If you need additional information to properly care for your loved one, you can contact my office. I am happy to provide additional resources or answer questions that you may have.
